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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
Defence Minister Richard Marles says Australia will not send warships to the Red Sea despite requests from the United States.
The Defence Minister says despite the rejection, Australia is committing to sending up to six extra Navy personnel to assist the US task force's efforts in securing the trade passage.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham has criticised the decision and says while it's important to keep strategic focus on our region, the Suez Canal is also integral.
Around twelve percent of international trade passes through the Red Sea, but recent Houthi militant attacks along the shipping route are forcing costly diversions for shipping companies.
Mr Marles told Sky News it was the right thing to do for Australia's defence.
"We won't be sending a ship or a plane, that said we will be almost tripling our contribution to the combined maritime force. We need to be really clear around our strategic focus and our strategic focus is our region, the north-east Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Pacific. What comes from the defence strategic review is an urgency around Australia maintaining a strategic focus on our immediate region and that's what we will do."
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The Transport Workers Union is urging the Senate to pass lifesaving transport reforms following the news of another delivery rider killed on the job.
The twenty-nine year old's death went unreported for over a year and four more delivery gig workers have been killed at work since.
Data obtained by The Age reveals that over a seven year period there have been 917 delivery rider injuries with around seventy percent of those being motorcyclists and the remaining were bicyclists.
The Transport Workers Union says the absence of worker entitlements and protection against contract terminations puts extra pressure on gig delivery workers to rush jobs and take more risks on the road.
National Secretary of the Transport Workers Union Michael Kaine says urgent reform is needed.
"We've got a gig economy that has come into Australia over the last 10 years. And it has quite deliberately pushed workers outside of the protections that we've built up over decades. protections for workers protections like the minimum wage protections like ensuring that you're able to take sick leave protections like ensuring when things go wrong you're able to get injury pay."
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Eva Lawler will be sworn in today as the Northern Territory's new chief minister following the ousting of her predecessor Natasha Fyles.
Ms Fyles was called on to resign earlier this week over two conflict of interest scandals involving undisclosed shares in mining companies South-32 and Woodside.
Ms Lawler is a former teacher and since joining the Northern Territory legislative assembly in 20-16 she has held the education, infrastructure and environment portfolio.
Joining her as deputy is Chanston Paech who holds the Indigenous Affairs portfolio.
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The federal government will invest around $500 million in protecting native wildlife as efforts continue to combat the $30 billion wildlife trafficking industry.
Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek met with staff at Sydney's Taronga Zoo today to discuss the ongoing investigations into wildlife trafficking.
The Environment Minister says since stepping into the role she has added dozens of new species to the endangered list and she says the illegal trade is a key threat.
"This is one of the largest sources of income for criminals globally, this is about the fourth largest organised crime in the world. In our region, we believe around $30 billion a year of illegal wildlife trade by organised criminals. We've got to stamp it out, and that's why I'm very pleased that since May this year we've seen eight operations, there are seven matters currently before the courts and we've seen two people jailed."
That was SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
